Premier Christy Clark and MLAs of British Columbia: Label GMO Food in BC

In 2001 the British Columbia government introduced Bill 18, to label GMO food. Unfortunately it died when the election was called. Let's make it happen in 2013! British Columbia will have a provincial election in May 2013 and we ask that you raise the GMO labeling issue with all candidates in your area. You have a right to know, where your political leaders stand on this very important health and environmental issue!

If you want to learn about genetically modified organisms and how they may pose a serious health risk to children and adults, please watch the above 7-minute video.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) pose a potentially serious threat to human health and the health of natural ecosystems. Many Canadians want to follow the example of the European Union and over 50 other nationsto label GMO food. We need adequate labeling, giving consumers the right to know about, and to say no to GMOs.

Many GMO crops are engineered to be herbicide-resistant, which has led to the evolution of weeds resistantto widely used herbicides, including Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate. This, in turn, has led to increased herbicide use and the need to find even stronger chemical alternatives. Thus, herbicide-resistant GMOs are creating a chemical treadmill. With farmers rapidlyincreasing their usage of Roundup, it has led to serious health and environmental impacts. Despite their widespread use, the human and wildlife toxicity of herbicides has not been well studied. More and more evidence suggests that at least some may induce detrimental health effects even at low exposure levels.

The driving force behind genetically modified crops and the maker of Roundup is Monsanto, a USA pharmaceutical company. Monsanto has a long history of producing chemicals that over time have proven to have a serious health risk to humans and the ecosystem. Some of their more notorious products have included Agent Orange, the now ubiquitous PCBs, DDT, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) and others. Monsanto’s annual salesare nearly $12 billion, yet they are not willing to provide funds for an independent long-term scientific study on the possible health risks of GMOs or Roundup. Do they have something to hide?

The study, “Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modiﬁed foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec”, was published in 2011 in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The study shows that toxins designed into genetically modified crops are finding their way into the bloodstreams of all pregnant women and their fetuses. This shocking result contradicts the genetic modification industry’s claims that such toxins are destroyed by the digestive tracts of people who eat the animals fed these GMO crops. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report in November 2012, warning of the health risks of children exposed to pesticides, including glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), is an international association of physicians and other professionals interested in the clinical aspects of humans and their environment. AAEM have asked for a moratorium on GMO food, implementation of immediate long term independent safety testing, and labeling of GMO foods, which is necessary for the health and safety of consumers.

For years, the biotechnology industry has trumpeted that it will feed the world, promising that its genetically engineered crops will produce higher yields. That promise has proven to be empty, according to Failure to Yield, a report by UCS expert Doug Gurian-Sherman released in March 2009. Despite 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase USA crop yields.

Given Monsanto’s poor track record in producing chemicals that they originally claim as being safe and later are proven extremely harmful, we need mandatory labeling of GMO products until long-term studies have been conducted. Labeling GMO food gives the consumer the ability to make choices based on these concerns.

Please share this petition with everyone, even those outside of BC. Thank you for supporting our petition to ‘Label GMO Food in British Columbia’.

Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of BC and members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,

There is growing scientific evidence that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) pose a potentially serious threat to human health and the health of natural ecosystems. Many British Columbians want to follow the example of the European Union and over 50 other countries to implement a zero tolerance for GMOs, including a ban of low-level presence GMO crops. At a minimum, we need adequate labeling, giving consumers the right to know about, and to say no to GMOs.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report in November 2012, warning of the health risks of children exposed to pesticides, including glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. GMO crops are being sprayed with Roundup, thus polluting the ground, water and being absorbed into the crop.

A recent Quebec study published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology showed that toxins designed into genetically modified crops are finding their way into the bloodstreams of all pregnant women and their fetuses.

There have been no long-term, independent scientific studies on GMO and the potential health risks to people and the environment. We therefore ask that British Columbia implement mandatory labeling of GMO food.